Alito, worried about being drafted for Vietnam, joined Army Reserve

Thursday

Nov 3, 2005 at 12:01 AMJan 19, 2011 at 11:27 AM

DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press writer

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito joined the Army Reserve while he was a college student because his lottery number had made it likely he would be drafted for the Vietnam War college roommates said Wednesday.

Alito was part of the Army's ROTC program during his years at Princeton -- 1968 to 1972 -- a period when the war in Southeast Asia escalated and more American men were drafted. In 1971 President Nixon ended student deferments increasing the pool of potential military inductees.

Four lottery drawings were held during that period in which a birthday and 366 blue plastic capsules dictated the order in which all men of draft age would be called. In the first drawing held Dec. — 1969 Alito received the lottery number of 32 according to the U.S. Selective Service.

Although the military was calling up men with numbers as high as 195 Alito had a student deferment. He participated in the ROTC program and did two summers of training at Fort Knox Ky. and Fort Indiantown Gap in Annville Pa.

With graduation looming the student deferment gone and Yale Law School waiting Alito joined the Army Reserve.

"It was draft-related" college roommate Mark Dwyer said of Alito's decision. "I joined the teacher preparation program. We were all focused on the draft lottery when those numbers got called. We thought about where we were.

"Sam looked like he was sure to be drafted. He said 'If I'm going into the Army I might as well be an officer."'

Another roommate David Grais said he remembered Alito had a low lottery number. Upon graduating from Princeton Alito attended Yale and "did active duty after law school" Grais said.

"Judge Alito is proud to have served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves" said Steve Schmidt a White House spokesman.

Vietnam War service was a critical issue in the 2004 presidential campaign and has shadowed President Bush since the previous campaign.

Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 after graduating from Yale University and questions have been raised about whether efforts were made to get him in the Guard to avoid service in the war. Vice President Dick Cheney received five student and marriage deferments of service during the war. Democratic Sen. John Kerry the party's nominee volunteered for the Navy and served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

In the questionnaire Alito submitted to the Senate in 1990 when he was up for a seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals he wrote of his military service "I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army upon graduation from college in 1972. After law school I was on active duty for training from September to December 1975. I was in the Army Reserves from 1972 to 1980 when I was honorably discharged as a captain."

Documents from Princeton show that Alito then an Army cadet received six weeks of "practical application in military leadership at the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps' basic summer camp at Fort Knox Ky. June 12 to July 23" in 1970.

"He will train as a small unit leader and instructor in realistic exercises and will receive command experience and the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in the field" the document said.

Alito delayed entering the service while at law school and then spent time in 1975 at Fort Gordon Ga. for signal officer training. He was on the inactive reserve for a period and then promoted to captain before he was honorably discharged in 1980.

The military draft ended in 1973.

Links

Selective Service Supreme Court

This story appeared on Page A11 of The Standard-Times on November — 2005.

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